Women Did Not Fight So Their Husbands Could Have Two Votes

One Christian pastor thinks men should control their wives' ballots

• Is there any morality left in the Republican Party? (That’s rhetorical.) When Derrick Evans of West Virginia isn’t violating the restraining order that he received by stalking and making threats of bodily injury to a woman who works at the Women’s Health Center, the only abortion clinic in the state, he’s campaigning for a seat in the State House. (And he very well could win.)

• Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson made her case for why she’s voting for Donald Trump in the upcoming election.

  “When people ask me about how I vote, I am not ashamed to tell them that I am a proud single issue voter. I vote on abortion. How someone cares for the most vulnerable among us tells me everything I need to know about every other issue.”

  Donald “It Is What It Is” Trump does not care for the most vulnerable. Or the moderately vulnerable. Or anyone who’s not himself.

• Women fought and won the right to vote. Women did not fight and win the right for their husbands to have two votes.
  
  This Idaho pastor thinks men should control their wives’ ballots. And now he knows what it means to get ratioed on Twitter.

  Jesse Sumpter @jesse_sumpter

  A friendly reminder

  

• The First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled against families in Maine who claimed they were being discriminated against for not receiving tuition reimbursement for sending their children to religious schools. (In non-legalese… that’s good!) This case may still be appealed to the ultra-conservative U.S. Supreme Court… but for now the Constitution lives to see another day.

• Last week, we learned that Poland's highest court had effectively banned abortion in the country. Since then, women (and allies) have been marching in the streets and it's an incredible sight. Will it change anything? Maybe not just yet, but the spark has been ignited.

  Joshua Potash @JoshuaPotash

  Just a stunning scene in Warsaw. All power to the people, and especially women, of Poland. https://t.co/BRtMfrRxeI

  

  Bart Staszewski ᴸᴳᴮᵀ 🏳️‍🌈🇵🇱 @BartStaszewski

  The protest against a total abortion ban. I never seen something like that. It is turning point for Poland! Women protesting on streets! @strajkkobiet #tojestwojna https://t.co/hqR5oMftBb

  (If the video doesn’t show, click on that tweet to see it. Well worth it.)

• A tale as old as the COVID pandemic: A mask-optional church in Michigan has turned up 58 COVID-positive cases, with 5 people being hospitalized. Local officials haven’t had much luck contract tracing because congregants don’t love thy neighbors enough to talk about where they’ve been.

• Our latest podcast is out if you're interested in a discussion of stories from this week!

• The lady who thinks heaven is made of Jell-O is saying wacky stuff again.

  “The angels sometimes will repeat the very things that Trump say. Like they call him ‘Sleepy Joe.’ When God had me prophesying up in Colorado, he actually said these words, ‘Why would you pick a villain for a president when I have already sent you a superhero?’ That would be Trump.”

  I know Kat Kerr says crazy things… but it’s no less disturbing that what you’d hear at a Trump rally.

• Do you care about religious freedom? Most Republicans would likely say yes and that’s precisely why they’re supporting Trump. But Christian writer and priest Tish Harrison Warren says that’s completely backwards. Joe Biden is really the “religious freedom” candidate.

• Have a good weekend! Go vote. It’s Halloween. Please scream inside your heart.